Chapter Text
Christmas had well and truly arrived at Hogwarts, and the castle was proof of this, even the great hall had become Christmas-fied but with less success than the rest of the castle. While the majority of the castle looked like Santa’s workshop had thrown up, quite literally thrown up, tinsel hanging off every possible hook, baubles dangling precariously and large Christmas trees in every spare corner or corridor. Seriously some of the corridors could have been mistaken for a mini forest, never mind the real forest outside the castle walls.
The great hall in contrast only had a slight hint to Christmas, namely the snowflakes that trickled from the ceiling and while beautiful in a way only snowflakes are, but was also freezing. We could magic up snowflakes, have them fall like outside in the great hall at all times of the day and night but we hadn’t figured out how to stop the snowflakes from being cold and making the rest of us sat under them cold. Magic am I right? Nonetheless the Christmas spirit had arrived and it was infectious too, even myself a self-certified grinch was slowly relaxing into the jingle bell vibes that occupied the entire castle.
“you look practically relaxed,” Cho commented as I leant back on one of the common room sofas, stretching out fully and let out a small sigh of delight, “I am, it’s strange what a month can do,” I replied with a nonchalant shrug, since the first date with Cedric in early November I had been on several more dates with him, some simply around the castle, other to Hogsmeade. I had started to soften, well that was inaccurate, I was practically putty I was so soft on Cedric now, even his awful pick-up lines couldn’t stop me from snuggling up to him in the Hufflepuff common room or in one of our dorms late at night.
“there she is,” a loud voice rang out across the quiet common room causing both me and Cho to look up slightly startled by the sudden noise that had disrupted our relative quiet, the rest of the common room was once again half empty as people ferried to and from Hogsmeade for last minute Christmas gifts before the holidays truly kicked in and everyone either floo’ed home (for the Scottish students in particular like Cho) or get the Hogwarts express back to London. I would be on the train. Marcus Belby strolled across from the portrait hole followed by Cedric who looked far more awkward and less comfortable, the pair joined us on the sofa dumping glittery gift bags on the coffee table between us.
Cedric settled beside me on the sofa, snuggling me into his side, his arm reaching round my shoulders protectively, I immediately relaxed into him, his arms had rapidly become my favourite place to relax. “hey,” I murmured quietly turning away from Cho and Marcus to press a kiss to Cedric’s chest – which was the only place on him I could actually access from my position. “hi gorgeous,” he pressed a light kiss to my forehead, “so are we doing this gift exchange or what?” Marcus questioned impatiently, shifting in his seat as Cho leant back into him, from where she had settled between his outstretched legs,
“we all know why he wants to get this over with,” Cedic whispered in my ear, I smiled silently watching as Marcus shifted again and Cho’s smile widened. “sure, then you can go and sort out your little problem,” I replied loudly enough for the pair to hear me, adding an exaggerated wink for good measure as Marcus shifted yet again. “Something got you uncomfortable?” Cedric asked innocently as I giggled into his arm, Marcus shot us a dark look as Cho reached across the table to where we had placed our gift bags for the boys and each other earlier.
“control your man y/l/n,” Marcus muttered as Cho handed him a gift bag and then passed out mine and Cedric’s, I rolled my eyes smiling and turned to face Cedric, “open yours first I want to see your reaction,” despite his misgivings both Cho and Marcus leant across the table to watch as I shifted to be sat facing Cedric as he opened the garish muggle gift bag I had asked my parents to send. “the bag is something,” Ced commented looking over the top to give me a raised eyebrow I shrugged, “I thought it was cute,” he smiled softly opening the bag and reaching inside to pull out a tissue paper wrapped object.
I waited with baited breath as he slowly peeled back the tissue paper, taking his sweet time to do so, I was practically on the edge of my seat when at long last he removed the last piece of tissue paper and unveiled my gift to him – a small chain with a tiny golden snitch hanging off it engraved with his initials. “oh y/n/n,” he murmured, leaning across the tissue paper and gift bag to press a kiss to my lips, ignoring the dramatized noises from our friends. “I thought you’d like it,” I murmured quietly, “I love it,” he murmured back, pressing our foreheads together as he toyed with it between his fingers.
“not to interrupt your fairy tale moment but can we get a move on?” Marcus broke in as Cedic sighed, shooting a frustrated look at the ceiling, “you can wait to fck Cho for another ten minutes dickhead, you won’t die,” he added with a huff before turning to press another kiss to my forehead. “Cho, your turn,” I prompted, realising that at this rate Marcus wasn’t going to survive any further delays, Cho set about opening her gift bag from Marcus and gushed excitedly before holding up the knitted jumper to show me and Cedric, I nodded enthusiastically as Marcus smiled bashfully for the first time since arriving in the common room.
At long last we got to my gift, having had to sit through a celebratory gift opening performance from Marcus who had made a show of tongue hockey as Cedric growled under his breath. “enough already, y/n hasn’t opened her gift,” he snapped finally, passing me the small glittery bag that I had first noticed when the pair arrived. I slowly pulled back the ribbon that had been keeping the gift within hidden from view, finally the bag fell open revealing one of the notebooks I had ran my hand along on our first date in Hogsmeade.
“oh Ced, you didn’t,” I murmured, already able to feel the tears welling up, “open the front cover,” he prodded gently, his arm wrapped around my shoulders comfortingly as I opened the inside cover to Cedric’s neat cursive scribbled across the entire inside cover and first page. Sentence upon sentence I skim read of his Christmas love letter to me, the tears falling rapidly that he had remembered my love of handwritten notes and journals.
To be loved is to be seen and to be seen is to be known, “oh Cedric, I love you,” I murmured softly, as he wiped my tears with his fingers, the common room falling silent with Cho and Marcus having already made their exit. “I love you too gorgeous,” he murmured back, sealing his lips to mine and tugging me into his lap to settle into our own comfortable routine.